my brief thoughts on.... 'Lake Mungo'

with a title like 'Lake Mungo' it really doesn't tell you much about what to expect with this movie.... it's vague at best.... however, once you've seen the movie you understand the title.... it still seems to be a poor choice for a title to me, however i understand why they picked it.... that being said.... this is a well done movie.... not an entirely new premise, but still one that is pulled off decently.... the actors are well cast and do well with the source material.... this type of movie is almost becoming a genre unto itself.... the documentary style horror movie.... from 'The Blair Witch Project' to 'Paranormal Activity'.... this is another one to add to the list.... it's not based on any actual events, but it's presented in a way that you wouldn't be sure if you didn't know it was fictional....

the story centers around a 16 year old who mysteriously drowns.... and not long after her death, strange things begin happening around her home.... and her family isn't sure what to make of it.... so they begin to investigate to see wht they can find out.... what they find is disturbing.... and slowly over time a puzzle emerges as they find out more and more about their daughter.... and who she was before she died.... it raises more questions and brings about more problems.... and soon things come to a head as they finally get all of their answers....
i found this to be a 3 out of 5 star rating.... i don't think it really deserved more or less.... it's an average movie.... not really scary, but clever.... something that's worth the time to watch.... just not something for repeated viewings.... and i have to admit that the scenes at Lake Mungo are the most shocking and interesting of the entire movie.... and i recommend that if you do watch this OnDemand that you stick around through the credits to see some more questions that you didn't even know you had, answered.... it's not gory.... it's kind of slow....but the payoff is pretty well worth it.... and i'm not a huge fan of ghost stories....

if you like this, watch: 'The Blair Witch Project', 'Quarantine' and 'Paranormal Activity'

my brief thoughts on.... 'Zombies of Mass Destruction'

once again, a simple browse through Netflix and you come across a little slice of gold.... i'd heard of this once a while ago.... but forgot about it.... and when i saw it pop up, i did a little research and heard a lot of good things.... so i added it to the queue and watched it the same night.... wow.... what a keen little flick.... it proves that there are still good zombie movies being made under the radar.... this is kind of along the lines of 'Shaun of the Dead'.... ie: kind of funny, but this one is not over the top hilarious.... it's more satire.... i mean, you can probably gauge that from the title.... and the tagline on the poster.... it is a bit of a commentary of the state of affairs in 2003, when the movie is set.... the characters are unique and fun to watch.... the situations are silly and gory.... i mean the special effects are pretty damn well done.... a LOT of blood and guts.... almost anime-ish.... the zombies are traditional and creepy.... they shamble, not run.... the one big difference is that with the actual premise of the movie, the dead don't come back from the grave.... they're living people who've been turned.... or killed by a zombie and come back.... that's a huge change from a lot of the movies like this you'd normally see.... but once again, another simliarity to 'Shaun of the Dead'....

the small town of Port Gamble is over run by hordes of zombies after terrorists release a biological weapon that creates zombies.... (hence 'Zombies of Mass Destruction').... the movie centers around a group of different people who's lives all intersect over the course of the evening of the outbreak.... you've got gun toting Republicans, two gay men who came to town for one of them to come out, an Iranian family who get the finger pointed at them for the mess, two candidates running for mayor, an overzealous preacher and the rest of the town....
this is a really well done movie.... i recommended it to zombie fans of either the regular kind or the funny kind.... this covers both.... it's well written.... the zombie action is high quality.... the characters are ones you can get behind and you care about what happens to them.... it has it's share of twists and turns and is well worth the time to invest in watching it.... so if you've run out of good zombie movies to watch these days.... this one is one you should watch.... it'll make you feel good and get out that zombie cravings you've been having.... it's OnDemand right now.... so no wait for Netflix to bring it to your mailbox.... i gave it 3 out of 5 stars with the consideration of giving it 4.... watch it and check it out.... i think you'll dig it....

if you like this, check out: 'Dead Alive aka Brain Damage', 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hide and Creep'